Keluaran 2:11

The Presumption of the Deliverer

2:11 ¹ In those days, ²  when ³  Moses had grown up, he went out to his people ⁴  and observed ⁵  their hard labor, and he saw an Egyptian man attacking ⁶  a Hebrew man, one of his own people. ⁷ 

Keluaran 4:1

The Source of Sufficiency

4:1 ⁸ Moses answered again, ⁹  “And if ¹⁰  they do not believe me or pay attention to me, ¹¹  but say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you’?”

Keluaran 4:10-11

4:10 Then Moses said to the Lord, ¹²  “O ¹³  my Lord, ¹⁴  I am not an eloquent man, ¹⁵  neither in the past ¹⁶  nor since you have spoken to your servant, for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” ¹⁷ 

4:11 The Lord said to him, “Who gave ¹⁸  a mouth to man, or who makes a person mute or deaf or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? ¹⁹ 

Keluaran 4:20

4:20 Then Moses took ²⁰  his wife and sons ²¹  and put them on a donkey and headed back ²²  to the land of Egypt, and Moses took the staff of God in his hand.

Keluaran 4:23

4:23 and I said to you, ‘Let my son go that he may serve ²³  me,’ but since you have refused to let him go, ²⁴  I will surely kill ²⁵  your son, your firstborn!”’”

Keluaran 5:2

5:2 But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord ²⁶  that ²⁷  I should obey him ²⁸  by releasing ²⁹  Israel? I do not know the Lord, ³⁰  and I will not release Israel!”

Keluaran 5:8

5:8 But you must require ³¹  of them the same quota of bricks that they were making before. ³²  Do not reduce it, for they are slackers. ³³  That is why they are crying, ‘Let us go sacrifice to our God.’

Keluaran 6:4

6:4 I also established my covenant with them ³⁴  to give them the land of Canaan, where they were living as resident foreigners. ³⁵ 

Keluaran 6:13

6:13 The Lord spoke ³⁶  to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge ³⁷  for the Israelites and Pharaoh king of Egypt to bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt.

Keluaran 8:19

8:19 The magicians said ³⁸  to Pharaoh, “It is the finger ³⁹  of God!” But Pharaoh’s heart remained hard, ⁴⁰  and he did not listen to them, just as the Lord had predicted.

Keluaran 9:28

9:28 Pray to the Lord, for the mighty ⁴¹  thunderings and hail are too much! ⁴²  I will release you and you will stay no longer.” ⁴³ 

Keluaran 9:33

9:33 So Moses left Pharaoh, went out of the city, and spread out his hands to the Lord, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain stopped pouring on the earth.

Keluaran 10:23-24

10:23 No one ⁴⁴  could see ⁴⁵  another person, and no one could rise from his place for three days. But the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.

10:24 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go, serve the Lord – only your flocks and herds will be detained. Even your families ⁴⁶  may go with you.”

Keluaran 11:3

11:3 (Now the Lord granted the people favor with ⁴⁷  the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, respected by Pharaoh’s servants and by the Egyptian people.) ⁴⁸ 

Keluaran 11:7

11:7 But against any of the Israelites not even a dog will bark ⁴⁹  against either people or animals, ⁵⁰  so that you may know that the Lord distinguishes ⁵¹  between Egypt and Israel.’

Keluaran 12:11

12:11 This is how you are to eat it – dressed to travel, ⁵²  your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You are to eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. ⁵³ 

Keluaran 12:18-19

12:18 In the first month, ⁵⁴  from the fourteenth day of the month, in the evening, you will eat bread made without yeast until the twenty-first day of the month in the evening. 12:19 For seven days ⁵⁵  yeast must not be found in your houses, for whoever eats what is made with yeast – that person ⁵⁶  will be cut off from the community of Israel, whether a foreigner ⁵⁷  or one born in the land.

Keluaran 13:16

13:16 It will be for a sign on your hand and for frontlets ⁵⁸  on your forehead, for with a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.” ⁵⁹ 

Keluaran 14:30

14:30 So the Lord saved ⁶⁰  Israel on that day from the power ⁶¹  of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead ⁶²  on the shore of the sea.

Keluaran 16:13

16:13 In the evening the quail ⁶³  came up and covered the camp, and in the morning a layer of dew was all around the camp.

Keluaran 17:7

17:7 He called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the contending of the Israelites and because of their testing the Lord, ⁶⁴  saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

Keluaran 19:21

19:21 The Lord said to Moses, “Go down and solemnly warn ⁶⁵  the people, lest they force their way through to the Lord to look, and many of them perish. ⁶⁶ 

Keluaran 20:7

20:7 “You shall not take ⁶⁷  the name of the Lord your God in vain, ⁶⁸  for the Lord will not hold guiltless ⁶⁹  anyone who takes his name in vain.

Keluaran 20:18

20:18 All the people were seeing ⁷⁰  the thundering and the lightning, and heard ⁷¹  the sound of the horn, and saw ⁷²  the mountain smoking – and when ⁷³  the people saw it they trembled with fear ⁷⁴  and kept their distance. ⁷⁵ 

Keluaran 21:3

21:3 If he came ⁷⁶  in by himself ⁷⁷  he will go out by himself; if he had ⁷⁸  a wife when he came in, then his wife will go out with him.

Keluaran 21:14

21:14 But if a man willfully attacks his neighbor to kill him cunningly, ⁷⁹  you will take him even from my altar that he may die.

Keluaran 22:14

22:14 “If a man borrows an animal ⁸⁰  from his neighbor, and it is hurt or dies when its owner was not with it, the man who borrowed it ⁸¹  will surely pay.

Keluaran 23:5

23:5 If you see the donkey of someone who hates you fallen under its load, you must not ignore him, ⁸²  but be sure to help ⁸³  him with it. ⁸⁴ 

Keluaran 23:29

23:29 I will not drive them out before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild animals ⁸⁵  multiply against you.

Keluaran 24:3

24:3 Moses came ⁸⁶  and told the people all the Lord’s words ⁸⁷  and all the decisions. All the people answered together, ⁸⁸  “We are willing to do ⁸⁹  all the words that the Lord has said,”

Keluaran 24:10

24:10 and they saw ⁹⁰  the God of Israel. Under his feet ⁹¹  there was something like a pavement ⁹²  made of sapphire, clear like the sky itself. ⁹³ 

Keluaran 26:6

26:6 You are to make fifty gold clasps and join the curtains together with the clasps, so that the tabernacle is a unit. ⁹⁴ 

Keluaran 26:14

26:14 “You are to make a covering ⁹⁵  for the tent out of ram skins dyed red and over that a covering of fine leather. ⁹⁶ 

Keluaran 26:36

26:36 “You are to make a hanging ⁹⁷  for the entrance of the tent of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twined linen, the work of an embroiderer. ⁹⁸ 

Keluaran 28:42

28:42 Make for them linen undergarments to cover their naked bodies; ⁹⁹  they must cover ¹⁰⁰  from the waist to the thighs.

Keluaran 29:2-3

29:2 and ¹⁰¹  bread made without yeast, and perforated cakes without yeast mixed with oil, and wafers without yeast spread ¹⁰²  with oil – you are to make them using ¹⁰³  fine wheat flour. 29:3 You are to put them in one basket and present ¹⁰⁴  them in the basket, along with ¹⁰⁵  the bull and the two rams.

Keluaran 29:5

29:5 and take the garments and clothe Aaron with the tunic, ¹⁰⁶  the robe of the ephod, the ephod, and the breastpiece; you are to fasten the ephod on him by using the skillfully woven waistband. ¹⁰⁷ 

Keluaran 29:13

29:13 You are to take all the fat that covers the entrails, and the lobe ¹⁰⁸  that is above the liver, and the two kidneys and the fat that is on them, and burn them ¹⁰⁹  on the altar.

Keluaran 30:20

30:20 When they enter ¹¹⁰  the tent of meeting, they must wash with ¹¹¹  water so that they do not die. ¹¹²  Also, when they approach ¹¹³  the altar to minister by burning incense ¹¹⁴  as an offering made by fire ¹¹⁵  to the Lord,

Keluaran 34:3

34:3 No one is to come up with you; do not let anyone be seen anywhere on the mountain; not even the flocks or the herds may graze in front of that mountain.”

Keluaran 34:25

34:25 “You must not offer the blood of my sacrifice with yeast; the sacrifice from the feast of Passover must not remain until the following morning. ¹¹⁶ 

Keluaran 35:21

35:21 Everyone ¹¹⁷  whose heart stirred him to action ¹¹⁸  and everyone whose spirit was willing ¹¹⁹  came and brought the offering for the Lord for the work of the tent of meeting, for all its service, and for the holy garments. ¹²⁰ 

Keluaran 36:4

36:4 So all the skilled people who were doing all the work on the sanctuary came from the work ¹²¹  they were doing

Keluaran 36:19

36:19 He made a covering for the tent out of ram skins dyed red and over that a covering of fine leather. ¹²² 

Keluaran 36:35

36:35 He made the special curtain of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen; he made ¹²³  it with cherubim, the work of an artistic designer.

Keluaran 36:37

36:37 He made a hanging for the entrance of the tent of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen, the work of an embroiderer,

Keluaran 37:3

37:3 He cast four gold rings for it that he put ¹²⁴  on its four feet, with ¹²⁵  two rings on one side and two rings on the other side.

Keluaran 37:16

37:16 He made the vessels which were on the table out of pure gold, its ¹²⁶  plates, its ladles, its pitchers, and its bowls, to be used in pouring out offerings.

Keluaran 38:1

The Making of the Altar for the Burnt Offering

38:1 He made the altar for the burnt offering of acacia wood seven feet six inches long and seven feet six inches wide – it was square – and its height was four feet six inches.

Keluaran 38:11

38:11 For the north side the hangings were ¹²⁷  one hundred fifty feet, with their twenty posts and their twenty bronze bases, with the hooks of the posts and their bands of silver.

Keluaran 38:23

38:23 and with him was Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, an artisan, a designer, and an embroiderer in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen.

Keluaran 38:28

38:28 From the remaining 1,775 shekels ¹²⁸  he made hooks for the posts, overlaid their tops, and made bands for them.

Keluaran 39:5

39:5 The artistically woven waistband of the ephod that was on it was like it, of one piece with it, ¹²⁹  of gold, blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

Keluaran 39:20

39:20 They made two more ¹³⁰  gold rings and attached them to the bottom of the two shoulder pieces on the front of the ephod, close to the juncture above the waistband of the ephod.

Keluaran 39:41

39:41 the woven garments for serving ¹³¹  in the sanctuary, the holy garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to minister as priests.

[2:11]  ¹ sn Chapter 1 described how Israel was flourishing in spite of the bondage. Chapter 2 first told how God providentially provided the deliverer, but now when this deliverer attempted to deliver one of his people, it turned out badly, and he had to flee for his life. This section makes an interesting study in the presumption of the leader, what Christian expositors would rightly describe as trying to do God’s work by the flesh. The section has two parts to it: the flight from Egypt over the failed attempt to deliver (vv. 11-15), and Moses’ introduction to life as the deliverer in Midian (vv. 16-22).

[2:11]  ² sn The expression “those days” refers to the days of bondage.

[2:11]  ³ tn The preterite with the vav (ו) consecutive is here subordinated to the next and main idea of the verse. This is the second use of this verb in the chapter. In v. 10 the verb had the sense of “when he began to grow” or “when he got older,” but here it carries the nuance of “when he had grown up.”

[2:11]  ⁴ tn Heb “brothers.” This term does not require them to be literal siblings, or even close family members. It simply refers to fellow Hebrews, people with whom Moses has begun to feel close ties of kinship. They are “brothers” in a broad sense, ultimately fellow members of the covenant community.

[2:11]  ⁵ tn The verb רָאָה (ra’a, “to see”) followed by the preposition bet (ב) can indicate looking on something as an overseer, or supervising, or investigating. Here the emphasis is on Moses’ observing their labor with sympathy or grief. It means more than that he simply saw the way his fellow Hebrews were being treated (cf. 2:25).

[2:11]  sn This journey of Moses to see his people is an indication that he had become aware of his destiny to deliver them. This verse says that he looked on their oppression; the next section will say that the Lord looked on it.

[2:11]  ⁶ tn The verb מַכֶּה (makkeh) is the Hiphil participle of the root נָכָה (nakha). It may be translated “strike, smite, beat, attack.” It can be used with the sense of killing (as in the next verse, which says Moses hid the body), but it does not necessarily indicate here that the Egyptian killed the Hebrew.

[2:11]  ⁷ tn Heb “brothers.” This kinship term is used as a means of indicating the nature of Moses’ personal concern over the incident, since the appositional clause adds no new information.

[4:1]  ⁸ sn In chap. 3, the first part of this extensive call, Yahweh promises to deliver his people. At the hesitancy of Moses, God guarantees his presence will be with him, and that assures the success of the mission. But with chap. 4, the second half of the call, the tone changes sharply. Now Moses protests his inadequacies in view of the nature of the task. In many ways, these verses address the question, “Who is sufficient for these things?” There are three basic movements in the passage. The first nine verses tell how God gave Moses signs in case Israel did not believe him (4:1-9). The second section records how God dealt with the speech problem of Moses (4:10-12). And finally, the last section records God’s provision of a helper, someone who could talk well (4:13-17). See also J. E. Hamlin, “The Liberator’s Ordeal: A Study of Exodus 4:1-9,” Rhetorical Criticism [PTMS], 33-42.

[4:1]  ⁹ tn Heb “and Moses answered and said.”

[4:1]  ¹⁰ tn Or “What if.” The use of הֵן (hen) is unusual here, introducing a conditional idea in the question without a following consequence clause (see Exod 8:22 HT [8:26 ET]; Jer 2:10; 2 Chr 7:13). The Greek has “if not” but adds the clause “what shall I say to them?”

[4:1]  ¹¹ tn Heb “listen to my voice,” so as to respond positively.

[4:10]  ¹² sn Now Moses took up another line of argumentation, the issue of his inability to speak fluently (vv. 10-17). The point here is that God’s servants must yield themselves as instruments to God, the Creator. It makes no difference what character traits they have or what weaknesses they think they have (Moses manages to speak very well) if God is present. If the sovereign God has chosen them, then they have everything that God intended them to have.

[4:10]  ¹³ tn The word בִּי (bi) is a particle of entreaty; it seeks permission to speak and is always followed by “my lord” or “my Lord.” Often rendered “please,” it is “employed in petitions, complaints and excuses” (W. H. C. Propp, Exodus 1–18 [AB], 213).

[4:10]  ¹⁴ tn The designation in Moses’ address is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay), a term of respect and deference such as “lord, master, sir” but pointed as it would be when it represents the tetragrammaton. B. Jacob says since this is the first time Moses spoke directly to Yahweh, he did so hesitatingly (Exodus, 87).

[4:10]  ¹⁵ tn When a noun clause is negated with לֹא (lo’), rather than אֵין (’en), there is a special emphasis, since the force of the negative falls on a specific word (GKC 479 §152.d). The expression “eloquent man” is אִישׁ דְּבָרִים (’ish dÿvarim, “a man of words”). The genitive may indicate a man characterized by words or a man who is able to command or control words. Moses apparently is resigned to the fact that he can do the signs, but he knows the signs have to be explained.

[4:10]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “also from yesterday also from three days ago” or “neither since yesterday nor since before that” is idiomatic for “previously” or “in the past.”

[4:10]  ¹⁷ tn The two expressions are כְבַד־פֶּה (khÿvad peh, “heavy of mouth”), and then כְבַד לָשׁוֹן (khÿvad lashon, “heavy of tongue”). Both use genitives of specification, the mouth and the tongue being what are heavy – slow. “Mouth” and “tongue” are metonymies of cause. Moses is saying that he has a problem speaking well. Perhaps he had been too long at the other side of the desert, or perhaps he was being a little dishonest. At any rate, he has still not captured the meaning of God’s presence. See among other works, J. H. Tigay, “‘Heavy of Mouth’ and ‘Heavy of Tongue’: On Moses’ Speech Difficulty,” BASOR 231 (1978): 57-67.

[4:11]  ¹⁸ tn The verb שִׂים (sim) means “to place, put, set”; the sentence here more precisely says, “Who put a mouth into a man?”

[4:11]  sn The argumentation by Moses is here met by Yahweh’s rhetorical questions. They are intended to be sharp – it is reproof for Moses. The message is twofold. First, Yahweh is fully able to overcome all of Moses’ deficiencies. Second, Moses is exactly the way that God intended him to be. So the rhetorical questions are meant to prod Moses’ faith.

[4:11]  ¹⁹ sn The final question obviously demands a positive answer. But the clause is worded in such a way as to return to the theme of “I AM.” Isaiah 45:5-7 developed this same idea of God’s control over life. Moses protests that he is not an eloquent speaker, and the Lord replies with reminders about himself and promises, “I will be with your mouth,” an assertion that repeats the verb he used four times in 3:12 and 14 and in promises to Isaac and Jacob (Gen 26:3; 31:3).

[4:20]  ²⁰ tn Heb “And Moses took.”

[4:20]  ²¹ sn Only Gershom has been mentioned so far. The other son’s name will be explained in chapter 18. The explanation of Gershom’s name was important to Moses’ sojourn in Midian. The explanation of the name Eliezer fits better in the later chapter (18:2-4).

[4:20]  ²² tn The verb would literally be rendered “and returned”; however, the narrative will record other happenings before he arrived in Egypt, so an ingressive nuance fits here – he began to return, or started back.

[4:23]  ²³ tn The text uses the imperative, “send out” (שַׁלַּח, shallakh) followed by the imperfect or jussive with the vav (ו) to express purpose.

[4:23]  ²⁴ tn The Piel infinitive serves as the direct object of the verb, answering the question of what Pharaoh would refuse to do. The command and refusal to obey are the grounds for the announcement of death for Pharaoh’s son.

[4:23]  ²⁵ tn The construction is very emphatic. The particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) gives it an immediacy and a vividness, as if God is already beginning to act. The participle with this particle has the nuance of an imminent future act, as if God is saying, “I am about to kill.” These words are not repeated until the last plague.

[5:2]  ²⁶ tn Heb “Yahweh.” This is a rhetorical question, expressing doubt or indignation or simply a negative thought that Yahweh is nothing (see erotesis in E. W. Bullinger, Figures of Speech, 944-45). Pharaoh is not asking for information (cf. 1 Sam 25:5-10).

[5:2]  ²⁷ tn The relative pronoun introduces the consecutive clause that depends on the interrogative clause (see GKC 318-19 §107.u).

[5:2]  ²⁸ tn The imperfect tense here receives the classification of obligatory imperfect. The verb שָׁמַע (shama’) followed by “in the voice of” is idiomatic; rather than referring to simple audition – “that I should hear his voice” – it conveys the thought of listening that issues in action – “that I should obey him.”

[5:2]  sn The construction of these clauses is similar to (ironically) the words of Moses: “Who am I that I should go?” (3:11).

[5:2]  ²⁹ tn The Piel infinitive construct here has the epexegetical usage with lamed (ל); it explains the verb “obey.”

[5:2]  ³⁰ sn This absolute statement of Pharaoh is part of a motif that will develop throughout the conflict. For Pharaoh, the Lord (Yahweh) did not exist. So he said “I do not know the Lord [i.e., Yahweh].” The point of the plagues and the exodus will be “that he might know.” Pharaoh will come to know this Yahweh, but not in any pleasant way.

[5:8]  ³¹ tn The verb is the Qal imperfect of שִׂים (sim, “place, put”). The form could be an imperfect of instruction: “You will place upon them the quota.” Or, as here, it may be an obligatory imperfect: “You must place.”

[5:8]  ³² tn Heb “yesterday and three days ago” or “yesterday and before that” is idiomatic for “previously” or “in the past.”

[5:8]  ³³ tn Or “loafers.” The form נִרְפִּים (nirpim) is derived from the verb רָפָה (rafah), meaning “to be weak, to let oneself go.” They had been letting the work go, Pharaoh reasoned, and being idle is why they had time to think about going to worship.

[6:4]  ³⁴ tn The statement refers to the making of the covenant with Abraham (Gen 15 and following) and confirming it with the other patriarchs. The verb הֲקִמֹתִי (haqimoti) means “set up, establish, give effect to, conclude” a covenant agreement. The covenant promised the patriarchs a great nation, a land – Canaan, and divine blessing. They lived with those promises, but now their descendants were in bondage in Egypt. God’s reference to the covenant here is meant to show the new revelation through redemption will start to fulfill the promises and show what the reality of the name Yahweh is to them.

[6:4]  ³⁵ tn Heb “the land of their sojournings.” The noun מְגֻרִים (mÿgurim) is a reminder that the patriarchs did not receive the promises. It is also an indication that those living in the age of promise did not experience the full meaning of the name of the covenant God. The “land of their sojournings” is the land of Canaan where the family lived (גּרוּ, garu) as foreigners, without owning property or having the rights of kinship with the surrounding population.

[6:13]  ³⁶ tn Heb “And Yahweh spoke.”

[6:13]  ³⁷ tn The term וַיְצַוֵּם (vayÿtsavvem) is a Piel preterite with a pronominal suffix on it. The verb צָוָה (tsavah) means “to command” but can also have a much wider range of meanings. In this short summary statement, the idea of giving Moses and Aaron a commission to Israel and to Pharaoh indicates that come what may they have their duty to perform.

[8:19]  ³⁸ tn Heb “and the magicians said.”

[8:19]  ³⁹ tn The word “finger” is a bold anthropomorphism (a figure of speech in which God is described using human characteristics).

[8:19]  sn The point of the magicians’ words is clear enough. They knew they were beaten and by whom. The reason for their choice of the word “finger” has occasioned many theories, none of which is entirely satisfying. At the least their statement highlights that the plague was accomplished by God with majestic ease and effortlessness. Perhaps the reason that they could not do this was that it involved producing life – from the dust of the ground, as in Genesis 2:7. The creative power of God confounded the magic of the Egyptians and brought on them a loathsome plague.

[8:19]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “and the heart of Pharaoh became hard.” This phrase translates the Hebrew word חָזַק (khazaq; see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 53). In context this represents the continuation of a prior condition.

[9:28]  ⁴¹ sn The text has Heb “the voices of God.” The divine epithet can be used to express the superlative (cf. Jonah 3:3).

[9:28]  ⁴² tn The expression וְרַב מִהְיֹת (vÿrav mihyot, “[the mighty thunder and hail] is much from being”) means essentially “more than enough.” This indicates that the storm was too much, or, as one might say, “It is enough.”

[9:28]  ⁴³ tn The last clause uses a verbal hendiadys: “you will not add to stand,” meaning “you will no longer stay.”

[10:23]  ⁴⁴ tn Heb “a man…his brother.”

[10:23]  ⁴⁵ tn The perfect tense in this context requires the somewhat rare classification of a potential perfect.

[10:24]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “dependents.” The term is often translated “your little ones,” but as mentioned before (10:10), this expression in these passages takes in women and children and other dependents. Pharaoh will now let all the people go, but he intends to detain the cattle to secure their return.

[11:3]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “in the eyes of.”

[11:3]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “in the eyes of the servants of Pharaoh and in the eyes of the people.” In the translation the word “Egyptian” has been supplied to clarify that the Egyptians and not the Israelites are meant here.

[11:3]  sn The presence of this clause about Moses, which is parenthetical in nature, further indicates why the Egyptians gave rather willingly to the Israelites. They were impressed by Moses’ miracles and his power with Pharaoh. Moses was great in stature – powerful and influential.

[11:7]  ⁴⁹ tn Or perhaps “growl”; Heb “not a dog will sharpen his tongue.” The expression is unusual, but it must indicate that not only would no harm come to the Israelites, but that no unfriendly threat would come against them either – not even so much as a dog barking. It is possible this is to be related to the watchdog (see F. C. Fensham, “Remarks on Keret 114^b – 136^a,” JNSL 11 [1983]: 75).

[11:7]  ⁵⁰ tn Heb “against man or beast.”

[11:7]  ⁵¹ tn The verb פָּלָה (palah) in Hiphil means “to set apart, make separate, make distinct.” See also Exod 8:22 (18 HT); 9:4; 33:16.

[12:11]  ⁵² tn Heb “your loins girded.”

[12:11]  ⁵³ tn The meaning of פֶּסַח (pesakh) is debated. (1) Some have tried to connect it to the Hebrew verb with the same radicals that means “to halt, leap, limp, stumble.” See 1 Kgs 18:26 where the word describes the priests of Baal hopping around the altar; also the crippled child in 2 Sam 4:4. (2) Others connect it to the Akkadian passahu, which means “to appease, make soft, placate”; or (3) an Egyptian word to commemorate the harvest (see J. B. Segal, The Hebrew Passover, 95-100). The verb occurs in Isa 31:5 with the connotation of “to protect”; B. S. Childs suggests that this was already influenced by the exodus tradition (Exodus [OTL], 183, n. 11). Whatever links there may or may not have been that show an etymology, in Exod 12 it is describing Yahweh’s passing over or through.

[12:18]  ⁵⁴ tn “month” has been supplied.

[12:19]  ⁵⁵ tn “Seven days” is an adverbial accusative of time (see R. J. Williams, Hebrew Syntax, 12, §56).

[12:19]  ⁵⁶ tn The term is נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh), often translated “soul.” It refers to the whole person, the soul within the body. The noun is feminine, agreeing with the feminine verb “be cut off.”

[12:19]  ⁵⁷ tn Or “alien”; or “stranger.”

[13:16]  ⁵⁸ tn The word is טוֹטָפֹת (totafot, “frontlets”). The etymology is uncertain, but the word denotes a sign or an object placed on the forehead (see m. Shabbat 6:1). The Gemara interprets it as a band that goes from ear to ear. In the Targum to 2 Sam 1:10 it is an armlet worn by Saul (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 110). These bands may have resembled the Egyptian practice of wearing as amulets “forms of words written on folds of papyrus tightly rolled up and sewn in linen” (W. C. Kaiser, Jr., “Exodus,” EBC 2:384).

[13:16]  ⁵⁹ sn The pattern of the passage now emerges more clearly; it concerns the grateful debt of the redeemed. In the first part eating the unleavened bread recalls the night of deliverance in Egypt, and it calls for purity. In the second part the dedication of the firstborn was an acknowledgment of the deliverance of the firstborn from bondage. They were to remember the deliverance and choose purity; they were to remember the deliverance and choose dedication. The NT will also say, “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price, therefore, glorify God” (1 Cor 6:20). Here too the truths of God’s great redemption must be learned well and retained well from generation to generation.

[14:30]  ⁶⁰ tn The Hebrew term וַיּוֹשַׁע (vayyosha’) is the key summation of the chapter, and this part of the book: “So Yahweh saved Israel.” This is the culmination of all the powerful works of God through these chapters.

[14:30]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “the hand,” with “hand” being a metonymy for power.

[14:30]  ⁶² tn The participle “dead” is singular, agreeing in form with “Egypt.”

[16:13]  ⁶³ sn These are migratory birds, said to come up in the spring from Arabia flying north and west, and in the fall returning. They fly with the wind, and so generally alight in the evening, covering the ground. If this is part of the explanation, the divine provision would have had to alter their flight paths to bring them to the Israelites, and bring them in vast numbers.

[17:7]  ⁶⁴ sn The name Massah (מַסָּה, massah) means “Proving”; it is derived from the verb “test, prove, try.” And the name Meribah (מְרִיבָה, mÿrivah) means “Strife”; it is related to the verb “to strive, quarrel, contend.” The choice of these names for the place would serve to remind Israel for all time of this failure with God. God wanted this and all subsequent generations to know how unbelief challenges God. And yet, he gave them water. So in spite of their failure, he remained faithful to his promises. The incident became proverbial, for it is the warning in Ps 95:7-8, which is quoted in Heb 3:15: “Oh, that today you would listen as he speaks! Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of testing in the wilderness. There your fathers tested me and tried me, and they saw my works for forty years.” The lesson is clear enough: to persist in this kind of unbelief could only result in the loss of divine blessing. Or, to put it another way, if they refused to believe in the power of God, they would wander powerless in the wilderness. They had every reason to believe, but they did not. (Note that this does not mean they are unbelievers, only that they would not take God at his word.)

[19:21]  ⁶⁵ tn The imperative הָעֵד (ha’ed) means “charge” them – put them under oath, or solemnly warn them. God wished to ensure that the people would not force their way past the barriers that had been set out.

[19:21]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “and fall”; NAB “be struck down.”

[20:7]  ⁶⁷ tn Or “use” (NCV, TEV); NIV, CEV, NLT “misuse”; NRSV “make wrongful use of.”

[20:7]  ⁶⁸ tn שָׁוְא (shav’, “vain”) describes “unreality.” The command prohibits use of the name for any idle, frivolous, or insincere purpose (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 196). This would include perjury, pagan incantations, or idle talk. The name is to be treated with reverence and respect because it is the name of the holy God.

[20:7]  ⁶⁹ tn Or “leave unpunished.”

[20:18]  ⁷⁰ tn The participle is used here for durative action in the past time (GKC 359 §116.o).

[20:18]  ⁷¹ tn The verb “to see” (רָאָה, ra’ah) refers to seeing with all the senses, or perceiving. W. C. Kaiser suggests that this is an example of the figure of speech called zeugma because the verb “saw” yokes together two objects, one that suits the verb and the other that does not. So, the verb “heard” is inserted here to clarify (“Exodus,” EBC 2:427).

[20:18]  ⁷² tn The verb “saw” is supplied here because it is expected in English (see the previous note on “heard”).

[20:18]  ⁷³ tn The preterite with vav (ו) consecutive is here subordinated as a temporal clause to the following clause, which receives the prominence.

[20:18]  ⁷⁴ tn The meaning of נוּעַ (nua’) is “to shake, sway to and fro” in fear. Compare Isa 7:2 – “and his heart shook…as the trees of the forest shake with the wind.”

[20:18]  ⁷⁵ tn Heb “and they stood from/at a distance.”

[21:3]  ⁷⁶ tn The tense is imperfect, but in the conditional clause it clearly refers to action that is anterior to the action in the next clause. Heb “if he comes in single, he goes out single,” that is, “if he came in single, he will go out single.”

[21:3]  ⁷⁷ tn Heb “with his back” meaning “alone.”

[21:3]  ⁷⁸ tn The phrase says, “if he was the possessor of a wife”; the noun בַּעַל (ba’al) can mean “possessor” or “husband.” If there was a wife, she shared his fortunes or his servitude; if he entered with her, she would accompany him when he left.

[21:14]  ⁷⁹ tn The word עָרְמָה (’ormah) is problematic. It could mean with prior intent, which would be connected with the word in Prov 8:5, 12 which means “understanding” (or “prudence” – fully aware of the way things are). It could be connected also to an Arabic word for “enemy” which would indicate this was done with malice or evil intentions (U. Cassuto, Exodus, 270). The use here seems parallel to the one in Josh 9:4, an instance involving intentionality and clever deception.

[22:14]  ⁸⁰ tn Heb “if a man asks [an animal] from his neighbor” (see also Exod 12:36). The ruling here implies an animal is borrowed, and if harm comes to it when the owner is not with it, the borrower is liable. The word “animal” is supplied in the translation for clarity.

[22:14]  ⁸¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the man who borrowed the animal) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:5]  ⁸² tn The line reads “you will cease to forsake him” – refrain from leaving your enemy without help.

[23:5]  ⁸³ tn The law is emphatic here as well, using the infinitive absolute and the imperfect of instruction (or possibly obligation). There is also a wordplay here: two words עָזַב (’azav) are used, one meaning “forsake” and the other possibly meaning “arrange” based on Arabic and Ugaritic evidence (see U. Cassuto, Exodus, 297-98).

[23:5]  ⁸⁴ sn See H. B. Huffmon, “Exodus 23:4-5: A Comparative Study,” A Light Unto My Path, 271-78.

[23:29]  ⁸⁵ tn Heb “the beast of the field.”

[24:3]  ⁸⁶ sn The general consensus among commentators is that this refers to Moses’ coming from the mountain after he made the ascent in 20:21. Here he came and told them the laws (written in 20:22-23:33), and of the call to come up to Yahweh.

[24:3]  ⁸⁷ sn The Decalogue may not be included here because the people had heard those commands themselves earlier.

[24:3]  ⁸⁸ tn The text simply has “one voice” (קוֹל אֶחָד, qol ’ekhad); this is an adverbial accusative of manner, telling how the people answered – “in one voice,” or unanimously (see GKC 375 §118.q).

[24:3]  ⁸⁹ tn The verb is the imperfect tense (נַעֲשֶׂה, na’aseh), although the form could be classified as a cohortative. If the latter, they would be saying that they are resolved to do what God said. If it is an imperfect, then the desiderative would make the most sense: “we are willing to do.” They are not presumptuously saying they are going to do all these things.

[24:10]  ⁹⁰ sn S. R. Driver (Exodus, 254) wishes to safeguard the traditional idea that God could not be seen by reading “they saw the place where the God of Israel stood” so as not to say they saw God. But according to U. Cassuto there is not a great deal of difference between “and they saw the God” and “the Lord God appeared” (Exodus, 314). He thinks that the word “God” is used instead of “Yahweh” to say that a divine phenomenon was seen. It is in the LXX that they add “the place where he stood.” In v. 11b the LXX has “and they appeared in the place of God.” See James Barr, “Theophany and Anthropomorphism in the Old Testament,” VTSup 7 (1959): 31-33. There is no detailed description here of what they saw (cf. Isa 6; Ezek 1). What is described amounts to what a person could see when prostrate.

[24:10]  ⁹¹ sn S. R. Driver suggests that they saw the divine Glory, not directly, but as they looked up from below, through what appeared to be a transparent blue sapphire pavement (Exodus, 254).

[24:10]  ⁹² tn Or “tiles.”

[24:10]  ⁹³ tn Heb “and like the body of heaven for clearness.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heaven” or “sky” depending on the context; here, where sapphire is mentioned (a blue stone) “sky” seems more appropriate, since the transparent blueness of the sapphire would appear like the blueness of the cloudless sky.

[26:6]  ⁹⁴ tn Heb “one”; KJV “it shall be one tabernacle”; NRSV “that the tabernacle may be one whole”; NLT “a single unit.”

[26:14]  ⁹⁵ sn Two outer coverings made of stronger materials will be put over the tent and the curtain, the two inner layers.

[26:14]  ⁹⁶ tn See the note on this phrase in Exod 25:5.

[26:36]  ⁹⁷ sn This was another curtain, serving as a screen in the entrance way. Since it was far away from the special curtain screening the Most Holy Place, it was less elaborate. It was not the work of the master designer, but of the “embroiderer,” and it did not have the cherubim on it.

[26:36]  ⁹⁸ tn The word רֹקֵם (roqem) refers to someone who made cloth with colors. It is not certain, however, whether the colors were woven into the fabric on the loom or applied with a needle; so “embroiderer” should be understood as an approximation (cf. HALOT 1290-91 s.v. רקם).

[28:42]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “naked flesh” (so NAB, NRSV); KJV “nakedness.”

[28:42]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “be.”

[29:2]  ¹⁰¹ sn This will be for the minkhah (מִנְחָה) offering (Lev 2), which was to accompany the animal sacrifices.

[29:2]  ¹⁰² tn Or “anointed” (KJV, ASV).

[29:2]  ¹⁰³ tn The “fine flour” is here an adverbial accusative, explaining the material from which these items were made. The flour is to be finely sifted, and from the wheat, not the barley, which was often the material used by the poor. Fine flour, no leaven, and perfect animals, without blemishes, were to be gathered for this service.

[29:3]  ¹⁰⁴ tn The verb קָרַב (qarav) in the Hiphil means to “bring near” to the altar, or, to offer something to God. These gifts will, therefore, be offered to him for the service of this ritual.

[29:3]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “and with.”

[29:5]  ¹⁰⁶ tn The Hiphil of לָבַשׁ (lavash, “to clothe”) will take double accusatives; so the sign of the accusative is with Aaron, and then with the articles of clothing. The translation will have to treat Aaron as the direct object and the articles as indirect objects, because Aaron receives the prominence in the verse – you will clothe Aaron.

[29:5]  ¹⁰⁷ tn The verb used in this last clause is a denominative verb from the word for ephod. And so “ephod the ephod on him” means “fasten as an ephod the ephod on him” (S. R. Driver, Exodus, 316).

[29:13]  ¹⁰⁸ tn S. R. Driver suggests that this is the appendix or an appendix, both here and in v. 22 (Exodus, 320). “The surplus, the appendage of liver, found with cow, sheep, or goat, but not with humans: Lobus caudatus” (HALOT 453 s.v. יֹתֶרֶת).

[29:13]  ¹⁰⁹ tn Heb “turn [them] into sweet smoke” since the word is used for burning incense.

[29:13]  sn The giving of the visceral organs and the fat has received various explanations. The fat represented the best, and the best was to go to God. If the animal is a substitute, then the visceral organs represent the will of the worshiper in an act of surrender to God.

[30:20]  ¹¹⁰ tn The form is an infinitive construct with the temporal preposition bet (ב), and a suffixed subjective genitive: “in their going in,” or, whenever they enter.

[30:20]  ¹¹¹ tn “Water” is an adverbial accusative of means, and so is translated “with water.” Gesenius classifies this with verbs of “covering with something.” But he prefers to emend the text with a preposition (see GKC 369 §117.y, n. 1).

[30:20]  ¹¹² tn The verb is a Qal imperfect with a nuance of final imperfect. The purpose/result clause here is indicated only with the conjunction: “and they do not die.” But clearly from the context this is the intended result of their washing – it is in order that they not die.

[30:20]  ¹¹³ tn Here, too, the infinitive is used in a temporal clause construction. The verb נָגַשׁ (nagash) is the common verb used for drawing near to the altar to make offerings – the official duties of the priest.

[30:20]  ¹¹⁴ tn The text uses two infinitives construct: “to minister to burn incense”; the first is the general term and expresses the purpose of the drawing near, and the second infinitive is epexegetical, explaining the first infinitive.

[30:20]  ¹¹⁵ tn The translation “as an offering made by fire” is a standard rendering of the one word in the text that appears to refer to “fire.” Milgrom and others contend that it simply means a “gift” (Leviticus 1-16, 161).

[34:25]  ¹¹⁶ sn See M. Haran, “The Passover Sacrifice,” Studies in the Religion of Ancient Israel (VTSup), 86-116.

[35:21]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “man.”

[35:21]  ¹¹⁸ tn The verb means “lift up, bear, carry.” Here the subject is “heart” or will, and so the expression describes one moved within to act.

[35:21]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “his spirit made him willing.” The verb is used in Scripture for the freewill offering that people brought (Lev 7).

[35:21]  ¹²⁰ tn Literally “the garments of holiness,” the genitive is the attributive genitive, marking out what type of garments these were.

[36:4]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “a man, a man from his work”; or “each one from his work.”

[36:19]  ¹²² tn See the note on this phrase in Exod 25:5.

[36:35]  ¹²³ tn The verb is simply “he made” but as in Exod 26:31 it probably means that the cherubim were worked into the curtain with the yarn, and so embroidered on the curtain.

[37:3]  ¹²⁴ tn “that he put” has been supplied.

[37:3]  ¹²⁵ tn This is taken as a circumstantial clause; the clause begins with the conjunction vav.

[37:16]  ¹²⁶ tn The suffixes on these could also indicate the indirect object (see Exod 25:29).

[38:11]  ¹²⁷ tn Here the phrase “the hangings were” has been supplied.

[38:28]  ¹²⁸ tn Here the word “shekels” is understood; about 45 pounds.

[39:5]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “from it” or the same.

[39:20]  ¹³⁰ tn Here “more” has been supplied.

[39:41]  ¹³¹ tn The form is the infinitive construct; it means the clothes to be used “to minister” in the holy place.